Dog rescued in 2-story building fire

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) -- Firefighters battled smoke and flames in a two-story building on Rivet Street Sunday morning.

District Chief Scott Kruger said it started shortly before 11 a.m. at 345 Rivet Street and spread into the walls and ceilings of the building. 

"This is a very old building, and there's a lot of void space. in the roof, there was actually two roofs.  there was the old original roof and there was a rubber roof that was placed over it.  it's just like cutting through two roofs at the same time," explained Kruger.

Crews were alerted to the fire by a 911 call from a passerby saying there was heavy smoke coming from the roofline.

Firefighters found heavy smoke and fire in a first floor storefront and quickly extinguished them.  A dog was rescued from the second-floor apartment and appeared to be fine, Kruger said.

Two people who were displaced from the second-floor apartment above the storefront were not home at the time.  A jewelry store in the one-story part of the building was occupied at the time of the fire.

According to Monday's Standard Times, a space heater is to blame for causing the fire.

No firefighters were injured.